[lug] LUG Digest, Vol 210, Issue 2 -- response -- creating a Zoomicater

[Dru Whitledge]

Similar to some of Jeffrey's (polite, diplomatic) 
rant on OSSers using black box commercial 
software -- I always had hoped to hear Linuxers 
debating installing a blackbox Zoom client -- 
that I assume is NOT OSS (or is it?) next to 
their private, precious, top secret, federal grand jury type data their HDDs.

I had hoped to hear an effervescent informed 
expert discussion (did I miss it?) on worries 
some experts had for dowloading that black box 
client from an almost admitted data sucker / 
seller.  Eric Yuan / Zoom (ex-Webex)  -- was sued 
twice for selling Mark Suckerburg data and his 
software originally, initially banned by many 
governments, Canada and Britain among them. And 
here we are the nerdiest of the nerds downloading 
his opaque encrypting client to our dearly loved 
distros (and some that piss us off, too).

I tend to resist stampeding to bright shiny 
objects following only the ass of the animal head 
of me  -- when I can -- but sometimes bright 
shiny objects are just the reality you have to 
deal with. I do wish we'd foreseen that and 
worked more on the Jitsi client -- or BBB -- but 
we didn't -- as we aren't now working on some 
much needed Public Infrastructure projects. 
Wouldn't an OSS econometrics model(s) be really, 
really nice right now for stimulus and 
infrastructure and clawing back selfish tax cuts?

So, I have to adapt to our impeding Zoom and 
here's an idea for those that don't want their 
data on that same HDD sitting next to that Zoom 
client -- it's ............................ 
YES!!! ............ the Zoomicator (c).

Great timing on Easter as it's intended to raise 
from the dead old ancient deceased laptops with 
camera and mic to live once again as Zoomicators.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of Linux still sucks 
and I would welcome critiques and ideas and 
suggestions from smarter Linux folks on the mechanics of making this happen.

One of the smartest general nerds I know 
suggested --- "Puppy Linux" -- (or maybe puppy competitors?) --
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=puppy

Since the Zoomicator is all about and, well, only 
about "downloading" / installing an evil Linux 
Zoom client on some innocent Linux distro and ALL about USER convenience --
Is there any reason I might want any OTHER distro 
than Puppy -- if I'm only doing Zoom? I.E .....
--- Is there any reason to worry that the Zoom 
Linux client won't work well -- or as well -- with Puppy?
--- Is / are there any additional Linux programs 
/ apps / utilities that I might want to and worry to include with Puppy?
--- Can I fully boot directly from a thumbdrive 
with Puppy with the Zoom client enabled or 
"programmed" to self enable or user enabled as super-obvious?
--- Can I install to a HDD / RamDrive? (if there 
is any RAM) some how from that SAME thumbdrive?
--- Can I completely -- totally -- automate 
(program) that whole installation process to make 
my Zoomicater thumbdrive attractive to total idiots or [censored]?

Is there any other Linux distro with which I -- 
as the User -- would have advantages over Puppy 
for a Zoomicator if I knew it were to be used / 
installed on any semi pseudo sort-of more modern 
laptop with real RAM? Why? What advantages would 
I have -- that I don't have with Puppy?

Dru
druw ( at ) oneimage dot com



>"Re: Contents of LUG digest..." Today's 
>Topics:    1. Re: BLUG email is working again. Thanks for your patience!
>       (Jeffrey S. Haemer)
>  Message: 1 Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2021 12:11:54 
> -0600 From: "Jeffrey S. Haemer" 
> <jeffrey.haemer at gmail.com> To: "Boulder 
> (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing 
> List"        <lug at lug.boulder.co.us> Subject: 
> Re: [lug] BLUG email is working again. Thanks 
> for your         patience! Message-ID:

>On Fri, Apr 2, 2021 at 11:56 AM Davide Del Vento 
><davide.del.vento at gmail.com> wrote: > 👍 > > 
>On Fri, Apr 2, 2021 at 10:59 AM David L. Willson <dlwillson at thegeek.nu> >

>wrote: > >> I'm happy to say it would be 
>surprising with BLUG. >> >> I wish it were 
>surprising when any group nominally about free 
>software >> casually chooses and even promotes 
>proprietary software, but it's not, >> 
>anymore. >> >> I wish it were surprising when 
>groups claiming free software ideals are >> 
>intolerant of and abusive to the weirdos who 
>have done the work to define, >> protect, and 
>promote it. But, that's not surprising, anymore, 
>either. >> Still, it's disappointing. >> >> 
>BLUG, though, seems to be populated exclusively 
>by smart, kind, >> principled people. I know 
>that's technically impossible; we're all some >> 
>blend of enlightened and brutal. Still, BLUGgers 
>seem more likely to >> delight than to 
>disappoint. >> >> Today seems like a good day to 
>say, "You don't need to kill your heroes." >> >> 
>... They're going to die, anyway. You can choose 
>to be kind while you and >> they are passing 
>through life. >> >> ----- Original Message 
>----- >> From: "Bucky Carr" <bcarr at purgatoire.org> >>




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